Six students still detained in Sudan without charge after Khartoum gathering

September 20 - 2017KHARTOUM

Sudanese students took to the streets in the national capital of Khartoum this month in protest against a court verdict condemning Asim Omar, a student at Khartoum University who was on trial on capital charges for allegedly killing a policeman (File photo: RD)

Sudan’s security authorities are still holding six student supporters of the United Popular Front who were arrested while addressing gatherings in Khartoum North on Wednesday September 13.

Lawyer Abdelbasit Mohamed told Radio Dabanga from Khartoum that “Yasir Abdallah, Salem Mohamed, Bashir Yagoub, Adam Zakariya, El Hadi Abdelmunim and Zakariya Mousa are still in security services detention. They have not been transferred to the police or the prosecution and no legal action has been taken against them so far”.

He added that since their arrest, the detainees have not been allowed to meet with their families or lawyers.

He demanded their immediate release or transfer to trial.

Release on bail

On Monday the police department in Khartoum North released six other students from the United Popular Front who were arrested at the same time.

Lawyer Mohamed told Radio Dabanga that Abdelnasir Adam Ishag, Abubakr Mousa Khamis, Nasreldin Khater, Younis Mohamed Younis, Abdallah Sharif Mohamed and Abdelsalam Mahmoud were released on bail after complaints were filed against them under Article (69) concerning the violation of public safety and Article (77) related to public nuisance of the Criminal Act of 1990.

The Students’ defence lawyer, Yousif Adam Bashar, told Radio Dabanga that the students were released on bail.

He added that “The judge decided to postpone the hearing until September 27 because the fifth defendant was not present.”

He pointed out that the students were randomly arrested outside the university’s headquarters because of fire that broke out at the Faculty of Education’s Registrar office in Omdurman in conjunction with the sit-ins and protests carried out by hundreds of students in April.

He said “The suspects have nothing to do with the burning of the registrar’s office”.

On Wednesday the Administrative Appeal Court in Bahri will hear the appeals filed by eight students of El Zaeem El Azhari University against the decisions of their dismissal from the university following the March sit-in, Bashar, told Radio Dabanga.

He said that Wednesday’s session is procedural and is intended to listen to the response of the legal counsel of the administration of El Zaeem El Azhari University on the filed appeals.

He explained that the accountability sessions under which the dismissal of students held were illegal and did not meet the conditions that should be available and that they did not identify the violations committed by students.